The Birds Fall Down (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: Rebecca West
- First Published: 1966
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Political
- Time of Work: The early twentieth century
- Setting: London, Paris, a French train, and a provincial French town
- Genres: Long fiction, Historical fiction, Political fiction, Suspense, Spy fiction
- Subjects: History, Power, personal or social, Politics, Revolutionaries, France or French people, Twentieth century, Exile or expatriates, Revolutions, Social issues, Mistaken or secret identity, Betrayal, Religion, Paris, 1910’s, Feminism, Adultery, Politicians, Assassination, Mysteries, London, Trains, Aristocracy or aristocrats, Espionage or spies, Russia or Russian people, Decision making, Fanaticism, Russian Revolution
- Locales: Paris, France, London, England
Characters Discussed
Laura Rowan, an eighteen-year-old woman who is half English and half Russian. Beautiful, intelligent, and quiet, Laura is a perceptive observer of the people around her and is responsible beyond her years. When she accompanies her grandfather on a train and hears Chubinov’s declaration that Kamensky is a traitor, her imagination runs wild with scenes of Kamensky killing her because she knows the truth. These imaginings, it is later revealed, are warranted. She must decide how to deal with Chubinov’s information and his scheme to murder Kamensky. At the...
[The entire page is 913 words long]
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